The Hindu Business Line : `PastForward' with Vasudev

But a big dilemma is that if the painting is not priced at least a little high "people think you're no good. But at the same time I feel sad that my work is not going to reach many people."

Art and Life S.G.Vasudev with one of his paintings from the 'Theatre of Life' series at his exhibition in Chennai;

Artists should not yield to pressure from galleries aggressively pursuing their work. "If you succumb to such pressure and sell your work before it is done, when you go to the canvas, you'll think only of that. No, I don't want to do that. I tell them I'll take my own time and space, and just paint. If somebody likes it, well and good, and the galleries can take it from there."

This is the response of renowned artist S.G. Vasudev on the growing commercialisation in the field of art.

He adds that once the galleries know that an artist won't get into this arrangement, they stop pressurising him.

He is amazed when some painters tell him they are "busy for the next 2-3 years or none of their paintings will be available for the next few years. I just wonder how they could even think of doing a painting that is already sold! Why do I paint? Because it's a pleasure, otherwise I'd be a bank clerk. When I face a white paper or canvas, I enjoy it and want to work on it. If you take me to your house and say: `I like your painting, this is my wall and I leave it to you. You decide what you want to paint.' I'd become very conscious and uncomfortable; it becomes more difficult for me to paint for somebody who is known to me, as it puts great pressure on me. Whereas if I'm doing a mural for a public building, it's okay. But for individuals it's difficult because I don't know whether the individual will appreciate it or not, and will have to just live with it!"

On the astronomical figures some artists' work command, and the impetus it gives youngsters to pursue a career in art, with one eye on the money it could fetch, he says, "There is nothing wrong in this to the extent that in other professions too youngsters make good money. So the artist also should make money."

But he thinks commercial success should not come too easily to an artist.

On how an artist like him, who has been painting for over four decades, reacts to programmes on TV channels talking about art as investment, Vasudev says, "Indirectly it is going to help the artist community. But besides telling people about art as investment, they should also tell how to appreciate it. Some people have told me that like a stock we buy a painting, hold on to it and auction it after a few years when the price has gone up. That's the last thing an artist should promote."

On his own work being auctioned online, he says he doesn't believe in auctioning his work but sometimes it is done for charity. "And though I don't believe in it, if you've bought my painting and send it for auction I have no objection. Once I sell, I have no control on my painting."

Though he doesn't want to be "judgemental" about artists who do auction their work, Vasudev cautions: "Auctions can sometimes plant different thoughts in the artist's mind. For example, my painting sells at Rs 5 lakh in this exhibition (`PastForward', a retrospective of his work now on display in Chennai). If in an auction it goes for Rs 15 lakh, tomorrow, I should not think my painting is worth Rs 15 lakh."

Pricing an artist's work

That brings us to the crucial issue of how an artist should price his work. Obviously this is a subjective issue, but Vasudev says he has never compared his prices with those of other artists.

"I didn't do this when I lived in the Cholamandal Artists' Village (in Injambakkam, Chennai) over 15 years ago, and I don't do so even now."

When he first went to Bangalore, he was told that his prices were "very reasonable". Looking around he found artists much junior to him were pricing their work three times higher. "So I just doubled from Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000 (for small paintings). Very slowly I've increased the prices and even now people say you're very reasonable. I don't want to jump the price to Rs 20-25 lakh for a painting. I really don't know what my painting will fetch, but it doesn't matter."

But a big dilemma, he points out, is that if the painting is not priced at least a little high "people think you're no good. But at the same time I feel sad that my work is not going to reach many people."

So how can artists like him address the important issue of making art affordable?

"This is a very difficult issue. We cannot have differential pricing; it's neither possible nor fair. All these years I've tried to see that my paintings reached homes. It has happened and I'm happy. Often when people can't pay the entire price, they can pay me in instalments."

Status symbol

So how does he feel when people look at art/paintings as status symbols and talk about their possessions at social gatherings? "Oh yes, it does happen. But there are also people who buy paintings and change their entire interior to suit the artist's work."

He gives the example of the wife of a consul general in Chennai who bought one of his paintings.

"Three months later she invited us for dinner and said, `I changed my entire room to suit your painting'. That was a big compliment... that is important and gives the artist real joy."

Over the years, Vasudev has become quite a public figure in Bangalore and works closely with government departments and the official machinery leading to speculation that one day he'll join politics. He laughs at the question and says, "No, no. I'm quite far from it. Two people who have influenced me are K.P.S. Panicker and K.K. Hebbar. I was never Hebbar's student, but I worked with him and learnt from both how to help artists. I feel that you may be getting your money and are very comfortable, but there is much more you should do in life."

After his first wife Arnawaz passed away, he set up the Arnawaz Vasudev Charities, which in the last 13 years has helped 80 artists in Baroda, Shantiniketan, Karnataka, etc.

He also believes that artists have to work with government organisations to promote art appreciation, set up more training facilities and institutions. "If you just leave it to them, they have no idea. I find that some people in the Culture Ministry are quite sensitive to art and are willing to learn. So I have got involved in many things such as the National Gallery of Modern Art in Bangalore."

He has also been involved in creating a department of fine arts at the University of Bangalore. "I convinced the Vice Chancellor that the Chitrakala Parishad could take only 25 students and everybody couldn't afford the fee structure," he says.

Appreciating art

He was also instrumental in a group of artists in Bangalore coming together to form Ananya Drishya, which plans to do art appreciation courses/workshops in schools and colleges. About 70 artists donated their work to create a corpus of Rs 20 lakh. He thinks a concerted effort is needed to raise awareness and understanding and appreciation of art.

"Through Ananya Drishya we want to reach the children, take them to art galleries, museums, etc. It's not that they will become artists, but it's important to sensitise them to art. Foreigners don't understand art better because they have better brains, but because their kids are taken to museums, art galleries etc."

Vasudev says corporates would be happy to be partners in this effort but have to be approached, and gives the example of Infosys COO S. Gopalakrishnan. "One day he came home to buy a painting and I raised this issue and he said: `Next week we'll start the art appreciation programme at Infosys'; so there are people ready to do this. Why do I have this exhibition at Lalit Kala Akademi? I could do it at private gallery, they would have a cocktail party and I could have made money. But I chose this venue because it's a public place and anybody can come. Many people don't like to go to private galleries; they are afraid to step in because it is too plush."

On the quality of Indian artists vis-à-vis the best of international painters, Vasudev says, "Technically we are very good and our presentation is good too; also, Indian art prices are going up mainly thanks to NRIs. But these are confined to the US and UK; if we can have this market in the rest of Europe, it would be really good."

But he thinks NRIs have to make an effort to promote the standing of Indian art in these countries. Despite the economy doing well, India is still considered a poor country, he says. "The last time I visited the US I told my NRI friends that I can make my money and so can the artists who come here, but you people are the second richest community here and professionals in various fields. What are you doing to promote awareness on Indian art, cinema, and literature?"

He suggested they form a group and hire a prominent museum for about two months, get the best of Indian literature, cinema, and art, and "show Americans what India is all about in these fields."

He has promised to help from India and is sure that industrialists such as Biocon's Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Infosys' Nandan Nilekani and Wipro's Azim Premji, who understand and support art, would help. Such a venture, he believes, would really make a mark, but till now this idea has not taken shape.

Vasudev admits that when he began as an artist in the late 1960s, he never envisaged that he would get such recognition and his own work would be valued high at the marketplace. "One always felt that the value of one's work could go up sometime in the future, even after one's life. The works of most of the western masters, excepting a few, came to public notice only after their time. That apart, the passion for painting has to be there always. Even now what drives me to paint is the passion; I really love to paint."

So what next?

"I enjoy work and would love to continue to paint till the end. I see the work of as many artists — young and established — as possible, because this is a learning process that doesn't end. Of course, exhibitions are fine and it's nice to meet people, but I'd rather spend more of my time in my studio."

Masterly weaves

A tapestry on display - BIJOY GHOSH

The tapestries on display at S.G. Vasudev's exhibition are breathtakingly beautiful. But a lot of painstaking effort and collaboration with master weaver Subbarayulu has gone behind them.

"I've always liked to work with different crafts; at Cholamandal too, we used to work with copper and other metals. I went to Paris and learnt the technique of stained glass, but unfortunately couldn't do much here because it is difficult to get the material here," he says.

During his travel he saw tapestry based on the works of masters such as Picasso, Mathis, etc displayed in corporate offices and got inspired. When he met the 60-year-old Subbarayulu and requested him to transfer his paintings on tapestry, he agreed "but said, `you'll have to give me time'."

The first piece took six months. But soon Vasudev understood the weaver's needs and told him, `If you don't mind, let's work together'. "He said, `don't put pressure on my time. And, I'll charge you'. I said I have no problem on both counts and I'm not interested in churning out things."

Of course, the meticulous and brilliant weaves take time, and Vasudev helps in getting the silk threads dyed to match the colours of his paintings. In the last 12 years, Subbarayulu has done about 60 tapestries.

"It takes time, but I thoroughly enjoy the experience and think it's very important that a contemporary artist collaborates with a craftsman. In India, the craftsmen are very poorly paid and exploited by middlemen. He sometimes asks for Rs 75,000-1 lakh for a tapestry and I pay it to him because I know his collaboration is equally important," says Vasudev.

Response may be sent to rasheeda@thehindu.co.in

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`PastForward' with Vasudev